Vehicle Description
1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk
The remarkable nine year run of the Studebaker Hawk finally came to
an end with the 1964 Gran Turismo Hawk. Studebaker's distinctive
Hawk line began in 1956 with a clever repackaging of the landmark
'53 Starliner coupe by Robert Bourke, its original designer, which
the South Bend carmaker rebranded as a "family sports car". Then in
1962, independent designer Brooks Stevens reinvented the Studebaker
coupe again with his classically styled Gran Turismo theme. For
1964, the Gran Turismo Hawk reached its most refined and
unfortunately, its final form. Exterior changes to the GT Hawk for
'64 were mostly minor, emblems and such, but a few were noteworthy.
First, the embossed bright metal panel on the deck lid was removed
and the corrugated presswork underneath eliminated, giving the rear
end a clean, smooth look that was closer to Bourke's original 1953
design. Also, a vinyl half top that covered the front portion of
the roof became an extra cost option. The Sport Roof, envisioned by
Stevens in the original 1962 proposal but not implemented until
1964, was offered in white or black for $65. Mechanically, the Hawk
was much the same car as in previous years, based on the aged
120-inch wheelbase chassis that dated back to 1953. However, there
were a number of refinements over the years, including Bendix front
disc brakes, recirculating ball power steering, and an available
Borg Warner T10 4-speed transmission.
For consignment, a 1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk coupe dressed
in Bordeaux Red and rowed to motion via a slightly hot rodded 350ci
Chevrolet V8 and a 200R4 4-speed automatic transmission. This fine
example comes to us showing 557 non verifiable miles on the
odometer, as the title reads Mileage Exempt. This is not the
Playstation version of Gran Turismo and in fact, we doubt this car
is available in the simulated game. This is a real and rare Hawk
and while Classic Auto Mall has had the honor of representing many
Studebaker Hawks over the years, this is only the second R1 to
grace our Hallowed Halls.
Exterior
Uniquely Studebaker with its British inspired grille, a stand off
Studebaker badge, and hood that conforms to the shape of the
grille, creating deep air tunnels on each side. Our car is bathed
in Bordeaux Red and is adorned with plenty of bright metal trim and
features unique to a Studebaker. Single round headlights flank the
grille and just below more "squashed mesh" openings house the round
turn signal lights. A chrome bumper in fine shape and the
windshield has a large, polished frame; a wide ribbed C-pillar trim
piece delineates the rear quarter on either side. The rear glass is
inset forming a small overhang in the back. The sleek trunk deck
has the tri-colored Studebaker emblem and cascades down to the
Studebaker Hawk letters running across the rear of the panel. The
rear bumper is looking good and shiny, vertical taillights just
above hinting at fins, and square dual exhaust peek out underneath
all help capoff the tail end of things. Nice scalloped S badged
wheel covers dress up the 15-inch wheels. Chrome Gran Turismo badge
in script along with the tri-colored badge adorns the doors during
our observation. We note some touch ups, scrapes, inclusions and
sanding marks on the exterior of this car.
Interior
Door panels start us out with pleated uppers, a wood applique panel
streaking through the center housing the small armrest, and black
carpeting on the door lowers, all in great shape. Inside, low back
wide buckets, standard for the GT, are also in black vinyl and are
flanking a center console with armrest and cupholder. In the back
is a big bench with more vertical pleats, a pulldown center
armrest, and the door pattern flowing on the sidewalls. A black
steering wheel contains a horn ring that summons the hawk emblem,
somewhat rectangular, leading to a stunning dashboard, backed with
a textured black insert, canted towards the driver, and containing
a high end array of Stewart Warner gauges with white faces and
black lettering. Outside the main cockpit, an AM/FM radio takes its
place in the wood panel, and a silver hawk is affixed to the wood
glove box door. More pleating for the padding thatsandwiches the
center and passengers front of the dash, adding safety and good
looks. Black carpet floods the flooring and polished braces dress
the white perforated headliner for just that extra bit of classy
detail, and it looks fantastic. The trunk is lined with black
carpet and houses a full size spare and jack assembly, all
clean.
Drivetrain
Under the hood, an equally clean engine is housed in a spotless
bay. This is the 350ci V8 rated at 370 horsepower as per the
accompanying paperwork and fueled by a Holley 4-barrel carburetor.
A black plastic hat covers the carb and ducting leads to the barrel
shaped air cleaner assembly on the passenger's side. A 200R4
4-speed automatic transmission is behind it all and sends power to
a Dana 44 axle out back. Power brakes are in demand and are discs
up front and drums in back.
Undercarriage
Super clean underneath as well with no surface rust, grease build
up, road dirt, or errant fluids anywhere. We see one drop of oil
near the drain plug. Headers feed down to dual exhaust which enters
a pair of Turbo stylemufflers on their way to the back. Coil spring
suspension is up front and leaf springs in back.
Drive-Ability
It's not every day you get to test a GT Hawk. This one will make
anyone a Studebaker fan, especially with the added cubes and ponies
under the hood. It performed as it should, solid braking, nice
smooth acceleration, and the 4-speed is a bonus. All functions in
this clean car work as intended save for the tachometer. While
Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at
the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions
will be working at the time of your purchase.
Is it a luxury car, a muscle car, or a grand tourer? Well, it's a
bit of each. A unique blend of external design, internal opulence,
and a capable V8. Call the rare bird alert because this one just
landed in our hall and like a warbler passing through, likely won't
be here long. Classic Auto Mall recently hosted the Studebaker
Drivers Club, Keystone Region and we sure hope they got a good look
at this one!
64V2609
64-1964
V-Gran Turismo Hawk V8
2609-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
